Joystick controllers have been commonly used to produce command signals that control game elements in video games. More recent video game controllers such as the SEGA GENESIS and the NINTENDO NES have replaced the joystick with an arcuate pad manipulated by a thumb.
When not in use, the control handle of the joystick, or arcuate pad, returns to a neutral position located in the center of its base. Moving the joystick from its neutral position in a desired direction closes a specific directional switch, thereby coupling a coded signal, unique to that particular direction and switch, to the video game. The video game responds to the coded signal by moving an object on the screen.
The advent of virtual reality has prompted the exploration of interactive control gloves for the video game market. In the field of gloves, movement of the fingers and an absolute position of the glove are monitored.
One such interactive control glove was the DATAGLOVE, in which fiber optic cables line each finger. Movement of a finger changes the amount of light flowing through the fiber optic cables. A computer interface monitors the change in light intensity and compares it to the prior light intensity to determine how the finger moved. Spatial position and orientation is determined by a magnetic sensor.
The allure of virtual reality technology has prompted the video game market to shift from joystick controllers toward an interactive method of control. One of the first interactive control gloves for the video game market was the NINTENDO POWERGLOVE. Similar in function to the DATAGLOVE, the POWERGLOVE recognizes movement of the fingers by detecting fluctuations in current through conductive ink located in the fingers of the POWERGLOVE, whereas the spatial position and orientation of the POWERGLOVE is monitored using ultrasonics.
A drawback of these prior art gloves is that they are incompatible with video games designed for joystick control because the prior art gloves cannot replicate the absolute control signals generated by a joystick. The prior art gloves rely on continuous finger and hand motion to produce the control signals required to operate the video game. If the user does not move his hand or fingers, then control signals are not generated, and the video game will not respond. As a result, the POWERGLOVE could not be used to play a simple video game such as SPACE INVADERS, which relies on holding a joystick in a one of two positions.
A further drawback of these prior art gloves is that the use of a "fire" button interferes with their operation. Specifically, using a prior art glove to actuate "fire" buttons during the operation of a video game requires moving the fingers, thereby generating unwanted control signals for the video game.